Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Chapter 182: Walking to calm people's hearts, today's Xuzhou is definitely not yesterday's Jinling! (Subscribe)
358 Brigade.

Inside the temporary resident meeting room.

A group of regimental-level cadres gathered together.

"Sir, the Japanese have already reached Linyi, why haven't we received any orders yet?"

Li Kuishan asked immediately.

Qian Bojun also looked at Chu Yunfei and Fang Ligong: "The friendly troops in front are fighting fiercely, and we are sitting on the bench here. This is not right!"

"Perhaps, the higher-ups want to send us into the battlefield at the most critical moment?"

Liang Guoping said tentatively.

Seeing the other regiment leaders looking at him, Liang Guoping continued, "Think about it, the situation on both sides of the Huai River was tense before, but after we joined the battle, the situation changed instantly."

"Although we didn't wipe out more than 10,000 Japanese soldiers as the newspaper boasted, but conservatively estimated, we killed more than 3,000 Japanese soldiers."

"In the south, the Central China Front's Japanese troops have suffered heavy losses, so it's normal for them to go on the defensive now."

"But the Japanese in the north, the 5th Division and the 10th Division are both famous elite troops."

Seeing that everyone was lost in thought, Liang Guoping paused for a moment and continued, "Needless to say, the Fifth Division, in the previous Battle of Xinkou, one division and two mixed brigades were able to fight against my army of more than 100,000 for more than a month.

Their combat effectiveness is self-evident, and we have also fought against their Shibuya wing before, and we suffered heavy casualties."

Qian Bojun was deeply touched. He nodded and said, "The Japanese soldiers from the Shibuya Regiment are indeed difficult to deal with. They use their supporting firepower very well. However, I feel that the most difficult to deal with is the 20th Division of the Japanese Army."

"Yes, the 20th Division's infantry-artillery coordinated tactics were very good, especially the 40th Brigade, which frequently used poison gas bombs, forcing us to abandon our front-line positions and retreat continuously. Their fighting style was very disgusting, but they were no match for us!"

Li Kuishan recalled the Battle of Shouyang with deep emotion: "If we hadn't used poison gas bombs so frequently, we wouldn't have lost so many people, those damned little devils."

"The 10th Division is a permanent division of the Japanese Army, and is a unit of the same standard as the 5th Division and the 20th Division."

Chu Yunfei spoke slowly, and everyone looked at him with serious expressions.

"Why do our friendly forces often find themselves in a tough fight after being attacked?"

"They are not the main force, let alone the elite. They will definitely pay a heavy price to fight against the elite troops of the Japanese invaders."

"As an ace unit, we will inevitably face off against the Japanese ace. The two divisions attacking from the north, whether it is the Jigu Division or the Sakagami Division, are both absolute ace units of the Japanese army with outstanding military exploits and unstoppable momentum."

"We must not underestimate the enemy, let alone take it lightly!"

Fang Ligong nodded and continued, "We have seen the efforts and sacrifices of our friendly forces. When we receive orders, we must not let our superiors down."

"Sir, Sir, although there is no order, we can still ask for a fight!"

Qian Bojun's suggestion was unanimously recognized by everyone.

The Japanese conquered Zou County.

Despite the harassment, flanking and containment by the Third Army.

But in fact, it didn't hurt the Japanese at all.

Hundreds of people couldn't even take down a small village consisting of a small team.

The combat effectiveness is indeed a bit poor.

The two sides are currently in a state of confrontation.

The defending force in Tengxian was the 22nd Army Group.

Its defensive deployment was: the 122nd Division of the 41st Army under Wang Mingzhang and the 364th Brigade under Wang Zhiyuan's command entered Teng County.

The 124th Division of the 41st Army under Shuitiqing simultaneously headed for Teng County.

The headquarters of the 127th Division of the 45th Army under Chen Li's command entered the county seat of Tengxian County.

Sun Zhen appointed Chen Li as the commander of the outer troops of Teng County, responsible for commanding the 45th Army troops defending the line from the northern boundary river of Teng County to Xiangcheng.

Wang Mingzhang was appointed as the commander of the defense of Tengxian County and the commander-in-chief of the 41st Army, in charge of unified command of the 122nd and 124th Divisions.

After the troops arrived, they calmly repaired the fortifications.

The 10th Division never received the combat order to move south.

Just as Chu Yunfei was seriously considering Qian Bojun's proposal.

A telegram was delivered to him again.

The Japanese army's offensive towards Linyi came to a standstill.

This made Chu Yunfei very confused for a moment.

He handed the telegram in his hand to Fang Ligong who was standing beside him and circulated it to everyone.

"It's a bit strange. The Japanese's actions are a bit unexpected. They gathered so many troops, but did not continue to attack after capturing Tangtou Town. Could it be that the Japanese have their own concerns about whether to launch the Xuzhou War at this time?"

Chu Yunfei touched his chin, unable to figure out the situation for a moment.

in his impression.

After the Fifth Division's first attack on Linyi, it did not stop to rest.

After the first attack on Linyi, it was the second attack on Linyi.

Then came the third attack on Linyi, commanded by Seishirō Sakagami himself.

After the battle, more than 10,000 of Pang Bingxun's men were killed or wounded, leaving only about 1,000 men.

Then came the fall of Linyi and the defense of Tancheng.

Chu Yunfei was deeply impressed by the Battle of Linyi.

It was a pretty good battle before the victory of Taierzhuang.

Although the casualty ratio is a bit higher.

However, the offensive warfare effectively restrained the Fifth Division's plan to capture Linyi.

It also prevented the Sakamoto Detachment from joining up with friendly forces.

It effectively ensured the victory of Taierzhuang.

The failure in the later stage of the Battle of Xuzhou was related to the loss of Linyi.

Linyi has a complex terrain with obvious differences. The mountainous areas are stacked one after another, the hills are winding and undulating, the plains are flat and endless, and the rivers are crisscrossed.

Mountains, hills and plains each account for one third of the total area.

The mountains are concentrated in Yishui, Yinan, Mengyin, Pingyi, Feixian, Junan and other counties.

The terrain is relatively high, with altitudes mostly above 400 meters.

It is also the key area currently being fought over by both sides.

It is basically impossible for a large-scale battle to break out among a force of several thousand people in such a large combat area.

It was good that the Japanese troops were dispersed, as their squad leaders and even sergeants could command the battle.

Grenade launchers can be used to great advantage in small-scale battles.

But the national army can’t do that...morale can be easily affected after a small-scale battle breaks out.

One person running away will lead ten others to flee, and then there will be a rout.

When a large number of people gather together, they are easily killed or injured by artillery fire, but it is relatively less easy for them to collapse and retreat.

The circumference of Linyi City Wall is 4.5 kilometers, 8.3 meters high, 3.3 meters thick, with 3782 battlements, 50 castles and 4 artillery positions. The horse path around the city wall is 2.67 meters wide, which can be used to transport troops and ammunition.

Relatively speaking, Linyi is the last strategic location in the entire southern Shandong region that is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

If we want to fight, we must go to Linyi to provide support.

It just so happened that the Fifth Division was one of the troops that conquered Taiyuan.

Deal with such an opponent.

The morale of the soldiers will be relatively high.

Chu Yunfei weighed the issue for a long time, and finally sent a telegram to Wuhan.

Ask Chiang Kai-shek for his opinion.

In the office, Chiang Kai-shek put aside Chu Yunfei's telegram requesting to join the battle.

He looked at Qian Dajun in front of him with a smile on his face: "In thirteen days, this kid has challenged me to a fight three times. Three times is the limit. It's time to make him move."

"Commissioner, do you want him to rush to Linyi to help?"

Chiang Kai-shek shook his head: "No, the 59th Army has already gone north to reinforce. Let him go north and wait for orders in Xuzhou."

"Commissioner, what do you mean?" "Ask Delin for his opinion. As a frontline commander, he knows better where troops are needed."

Chiang Kai-shek shook his head. He had more important things to do now.

Kong Xiangxi had been sent by him to Hong Kong to contact and negotiate with the Japanese.

In Chiang Kai-shek's view, the Battle of Xuzhou was also a war to promote peace.

The 118th Regiment was newly annihilated, and the Japanese invaders have not yet made significant progress in Shandong.

Chiang Kai-shek believes that there is room for discussion.

Although Toddman's mediation had failed before.

After China and Japan broke off diplomatic relations.

Still communicating through an intermediary.

In the past two months, both sides have won and lost.

The Japanese army can no longer attack.

We can take this opportunity to restore the situation before the July 7 Incident.

Wait until his Central Army recovers its combat effectiveness, and then drive the Japanese out of China.

Qian Dajun couldn't help but remind him: "Chairman... the Japanese side doesn't seem to have any intention of negotiating."

"According to the intelligence we have received, the Japanese are stepping up their recruitment efforts in the country and are planning to form new divisions for their invasion of China."

Chiang Kai-shek interrupted with a seemingly expressionless face: "I know."

After all, Qian Dajun had been with Chiang Kai-shek for a long time.

Knowing that Chiang Kai-shek seemed unhappy, he did not continue.

Just go and deliver the message obediently.

In this state, Chiang Kai-shek would not listen to anyone's persuasion, even Soong Mei-ling's pillow talk was useless.

This guy is just so twisted.

Chu Yunfei waited and waited in Su County.

What they waited for was not the order to attack, but an order to march north to Xuzhou and wait for orders.

The soldiers under his command were extremely enthusiastic about the war of resistance, and they went to Shanxi to fight in order to make a name for themselves.

After sitting on the bench for so long, I heard that we are going to kill the Japanese again.

When Chu Yunfei was negotiating with the commander of the Fifth War Zone about the military train.

The Fifth War Zone Commander's Headquarters is holding a unique Fifth War Zone People's Mobilization Meeting.

There were quite a few reporters.

Some local celebrities, landlords and gentry were also invited to attend the meeting.

The main thing is to let them provide money and food.

Fortunately, these people are still sensible at this stage, and most of them think that China is that big.

With so many troops, no matter how powerful the Japanese are, they can't keep winning.

What’s more, a brigade of the Japanese invaders was wiped out not long ago!

Based on this understanding.

Many people no longer wavered at this time and donated money and food.

Some even donated expensive Swiss watches imported from abroad.

"Old man, please leave your name. Thank you for supporting the war of resistance."

"Just leave a Chinese person here. This is what we Chinese should do."

"Everyone...quiet down, General Li Zongren has arrived!"

"where?"

"Where is General Lee?"

"I'm coming!"

The participants spontaneously applauded in welcome. General Li Zongren walked quickly from the door and bowed to everyone.

"Okay, okay," Li Zongren laughed and motioned for everyone to take a seat: "Welcome everyone, please take a seat!"

"General Lee!"

Li Zongren smiled and shook hands with everyone: "Hello, thank you for supporting our anti-Japanese cause!"

"Hello, Commander Li!"

"How is the rescue operation going?"

"Very good, it went very smoothly. The people are very supportive of us. There is no way the damn Japs can defeat us!"

Li Zongren felt encouraged when he heard this, and immediately laughed and nodded, "Okay!"

"General Li, since the outbreak of the war, the Chinese army's relocation of its position has been questioned. The outside world generally believes that this is a precursor to defeat, and it has even become a synonym for failure. General Li, will the Xuzhou combat troops also be relocated this time?"

A reporter stepped forward to ask.

"I would like to remind friends in the press that our army also moved its positions during the Battle of Taiyuan, but the 18th Group Army won a major victory at Pingxingguan, and Chu Yunfei's troops won major victories at Zhuanshui Village, Niangziguan, Yangquan, and even Shouyang."

"Even when we had no choice but to abandon Taiyuan to preserve our manpower, the Japanese paid a very painful price for this, and the 4th Mixed Brigade was completely wiped out."

"This time, Zongren commanded the Xuzhou Campaign to smash the Japanese army's strategic attempt to encircle Xuzhou from the north and south, buy enough time for Wuhan and the rear area, and prepare for our long-term war of resistance."

At this time, Li Zongren was quite confident, with a hint of murderousness and arrogance.

Many reporters captured this classic shot.

"Captain Li, what do you think of the prospects of this Jinpu Campaign?"

Li Zongren smiled and said, "I believe you are all aware of the great victory in Bengbu some time ago. Our army used superior forces to cooperate with the 358th Brigade, the main force of our army, to strike hard at the main force of the th Brigade of the Japanese invaders and completely wiped out the th Infantry Regiment of the Japanese army!"

"From the current strategic situation, the Japanese army is preparing to attack Xuzhou in several directions. I am ready to fight. As long as we maintain the current combat rhythm and learn from the experience and lessons of the early days of the war, we are fully confident of defeating the Japanese invaders and crushing the enemy's attack."

"General Li, according to the Japanese claim, if they encounter significant resistance in the Jinpu Campaign, they will see Xuzhou become the second Nanjing. General Li, what do you think?"

view?

This is a naked provocation.

Such a beast who has lost his humanity could actually compare Xuzhou to Nanjing.

Li Zongren's face was visibly red, filled and burning with anger.

Li Zongren, who was suppressing his anger, strolled leisurely in the garden. His voice and tone remained calm, full of confidence and a strong murderous aura.

This is the "hope" cultivated after decades of military career.

"Speaking of this, I would like to borrow a sentence from Chu Yunfei, the commander of the 358th Brigade, to express my own point of view."

Everyone's eyes were completely focused on Li Zongren.

I wonder what the commander-in-chief of the fifth theater of war will say.

Li Zongren opened his mouth slowly and emphasized in a loud voice: "Today's Xuzhou is definitely not yesterday's Jinling."

"To deal with the Japanese invaders, we must give tooth for tooth and blood for blood!"

"Well said!"

Everyone was deeply moved and started applauding.

"With Chu Yunfei's troops here, Xuzhou will be safe!"

"Yes, our soldiers fought bravely to defend our country, and we have to do something for them!"

"General Li, I have decided to donate another 500,000 yuan to support the war of resistance!"

"I will donate too. My Liang's Company will donate 300,000 kilograms of military rations!"

"And I"

At once, everyone's enthusiasm was ignited.

Li Zongren was also very happy. He clasped his hands and stood in front of everyone to thank them: "To defend Xuzhou, we still need the concerted efforts of all the elders and fellow villagers. Zongren thanks you all here."

(End of this chapter)